Pentagram

The Trader's Interruption

               Mika and I stood together in the center of the Pentagram.

                The girl now wore a pair of shorts, and a short sleeved shirt made of cloth. Her hair was down, and she wore a pair of black shoes.

                "So...are we leaving?" I asked, hefting my gunblade.

                She was flipping through her spell book, "As soon as I find the right incantation. I'm going to teleport us into an alley."

                "Or...we could just walk out the front door?" I frowned.

                "The main city is a thirty minute drive from here. I don't want to waste our time." I swear her face reddened again, but I didn't comment. "Anyways, I have the right spell. And for magi's sake, put your weapon down. You won't need your gunblade, or your belt of moon clips."

                I frowned slightly, "Are you sure?"

                "Part of the reason I want to take you to the city is so you can learn about what's normal and what's not." She glanced at me, "People walking around with weapons isn't uncommon, but it does draw attention. It's not 'normal.'"

                I paused, and unfastened my belt. Then I set it and my gunblade beside the stairwell on the left of the room.

                "Okay, come over here." Mika sighed.

                I walked over to her. She put a hand on my shoulder, and raised her staff above her head. "Hey, Akaya...you might want to take a deep breath."

                "Wh-" I started.

                I didn't even get the chance to finish my sentence. She said three syllables in rapid succession, and my vision blurred. the colors around me faded and reappeared, until everything was just a scramble. Then all at once it stopped, and we were standing in a narrow alley.       

                The road was not more than twenty paces to our right. It was bright and sunny, even in the alley. Mika snapped her fingers, and her staff dissapeared. It took me a moment to process, and I didn't comment. I'd started getting used to weird things. She started to walk towards the street, "Come on, let's go."

                "Where are we?" I asked, following her.

                "48th Street." She paused, "We'll walk to the corner, I suppose."

                We turned onto the sidewalk. All around us, there were people walking every which way. Garris and other vehicles drove past us. Immediately, I saw people staring at Mika. I suppose it was understandable, being how famous she was, but it still made me uncomfortable.

                She turned to face me, smiling. "So, where do you want to go first?"

                I looked at the skyscrapers that were all around us, then at some of the smaller stores. "I don't even know where to begin..."

                "Well, it's about time for lunch.  I could show you a good place to eat." Mika's face reddened again, "Or we could-"

                "Mika, that sounds fine." I laughed slightly, "Honestly, what's with you? You're acting all...weird. I've never seen you like this."

                "It's nothing." She assured me, "Let's just go."

                I looked around. There was way too much to process as we walked. I saw several mop-up drones flying overhead, and lots of activity on the sidewalks. There were vendors and people playing instruments. We passed a large grassy field, where people were tossing balls to each other or laying down in the grass.